Preventing the Preventable: How System Design and Safety Culture Transform Healthcare

Preventable harm remains one of the most persistent challenges facing healthcare organizations today. While many safety initiatives focus on individual performance, lasting improvement requires something deeper: systems designed to support safe, reliable care and a culture that prioritizes safety at every level.

In this perspective paper, ECRI explores how healthcare organizations can strengthen safety culture through systems thinking, human factors engineering, and proven lessons adapted from other high-risk industries such as aviation and nuclear power.

Learn how healthcare leaders can build resilient systems that encourage open communication, continuous learning, accountability, and proactive risk reduction—while improving patient outcomes, workforce well-being, and organizational trust.

Download the perspective paper